c.Mammoth Mountain, CA

J. Dozier
University of California - Santa Barbara

H. Rott
University of Innsbruck

 The major goal of the proposed work is to model the spatial
distribution of snow surface energy exchange, snow metamorphism,
and snow melt in alpine drainage basins.  For hydrologic
and land surface climate investigations in alpine areas,
seasonal snow cover and alpine glaciers are important parameters.
 Over major portions of the middle and high latitudes, and
at high elevations in the tropical latitudes, snow and alpine
glaciers are the largest contributors to runoff in rivers
and to ground water recharge.  Snow and ice also play important
interactive roles in the regional climates because snow has
a higher albedo than any other natural surface.  Understanding
processes in the seasonal snow cover is also important for
studies of the chemical balance of alpine drainage basins
because of translocation of anions and cations within the
snowpack and possible concentrated release in the first phases
of the melt season.
 The instrument site at Mammoth Mountain ski area is on the
eastern slope of the south-central Sierra Nevada at an elevation
of 2930 m, approximately 50 km northwest of Bishop, California.
 A snow study plot has been maintained there since 1978.
 Year-round access to the instrument site is provided by
the ski area's gondola and lift system, and summer access
by automobile is possible.  The site is an open, high altitude
area characterized by high winds and dry snow, and is typical
of the Sierra Nevadašs alpine region.  Wind speeds of 30
meters per second are not uncommon.  Vegetation is sparse
with only a few large trees 50 to 200 meters away.  Mean
winter air temperature is approximately -5°C, and mean annual
maximum snow water equivalent is about 0.8 m.  Snowfall usually
begins in early November, and the snowpack often persists
well into May.  The site is instrumented with complete automatic
meteorological capabilities, radiometers, a snow pillow,
and snow lysimeters.  At this site, it is possible to carry
out a complete energy budget from the beginning of the accumulation
season until the end of the snow melt season.